Bullets
by homel001
Summary: Will Clayton embarks on a mission for Justice as he hunts the Bollard gang members who killed the only family he had left. Rated T for mild violence and occasional curse words. please read and review
1. Chapter 1

Bullets

By Homel001

(Lee Homer)

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Rockstar Games. All reviews are welcome.**

The erupting thunder shook the damp and cloudy night time sky. By now I had been completely drenched by the torrential rain as it felt like I was carrying the entire Lake Don Jublio in my boots. I hated this very night let alone it set the mood for an aftermath. Each blinding flash, each powerful boom reminds of this morning. I find it hard to imagine that today had started like any other day. One minute I'm helping my Uncle attend to his herd, the next I'm defending my life against cattle rustlers with a rusty revolver. It should've been me who had perished, not my uncle. He didn't deserve to die the way he did. Some way to start my twenty –first birthday.

He was the kindest man that anyone could've known, my Uncle. He took me in when I was six after my parents were killed in a raid by Mexican Rebels. To me, he was the father I never had. He taught me how to hunt, shoot, cook, exchange, chop, everything that a rancher was meant to do. He was even there when I learnt to ride a horse. He risked everything so I could have a proper childhood. Then the Bollard Twins came with the gang of misfit vermin. It turned out that my Uncle had owed cattle to the twins after he made a deal with them regarding money. I never really knew the details, just the gritty result that followed.

Early that day, my Uncle went out to collect wood for the fire when the twins had arrived. I was in my bedroom at the time when I could hear the commotion from outside. I could hear the twins shouting along with the sound of my Uncle retaliating. Suddenly gunfire shook the house. My eyes widened as I froze in fear for my Uncle's life. I stepped outside only to see that my worst fears had been confirmed. The Bollard Twins rode off into the distance and there, lying on the dusty ground was the cold, lifeless body of my Uncle. He had been shot at close range as he had received a huge shotgun blast to the chest. His blood trickled down his stained plaid shirt, collecting in a crack in the ground. It felt as if my heart stopped beating as my body had been enveloped in a blanket of numbness. I didn't know how to react. My only family was dead before my eyes and the first thing I felt was anger.

Yes that's right, rage. I felt rage more than sorrow. I wasn't thinking straight enough to grieve. I wanted revenge. I wanted justice to come to those men. Sadly the law was too afraid to bring them down so I knew it was up to me to do something about it. It was around about lunchtime when I gave him a decent burial in the yard. I had the time to grieve and to come to terms with what had happened. He would've wanted me to move on and continue the family name, but unlike him, I believed in redemption. After I prayed to God that he would look after my Uncle in heaven, I knew it was time to settle the score.

What seemed like hours only appeared to be minutes as I stocked up on supplies, saddled my horse and set out into the chilly fields of Hennigan's Stead. I didn't even know where to look and yet somehow I was heading towards Thieves Landing. It was as if my Uncle or even God himself was showing me the way.

**Thieves Landing**

The town itself was like entering the gateway to hell itself. The bridge represented the Devils hallway as I trotted down the damp, muddy street towards the Saloon. I easily blanked out the many eyes that were staring at me as if I was some sort of outsider. The people here are not a friendly welcoming bunch which made the town live up to its name. I approached the Saloon, my destination. Dismounting my horse, I took a deep breath and firmly gripped my gun holster. I had to identify the killer quickly and knock him down before he could identify me.

The saloon was nothing more than a mere pit. Cigar smoke lingered in the air, urine and booze stained the floor, drunken men lay unconscious all over the place and the bartender looked like he was half awake. He was the man who I had to approach for answers. My heart didn't want me to go through with it, but my mind knew what I had to do. The Bartender didn't seem to look human as his statue like figure stood there, gazing at me. I stood there, putting all my thoughts aside and began to speak.

"I'm looking for the Bollard Twins." I said as my voice appeared to change in tone. "I know they're here, have you seen them and began to speak.

"I'm looking for the Bollard Twins." I said as my voice appeared to change in tone. "I know they're here. Where are they?"

"I don't know who you mean mister?" the Bartender replied as his speech was slurred. "I haven't seen them boys here in a while. The towns been quite peaceful since they rode out of here."

Somehow, I got the impression that the man was lying. The look on his face made it all too clear. He was frightened as if he had been told to keep quiet or something. I knew the felling anywhere.

"You do know where they are." I continued as I made the man shake even more. "Where are they hiding?"

Just then, my rage got the better of me as I grabbed the man by the scruff of the next and pinned him up against the wall. This wasn't me. I had never been one to cause trouble like that, especially in bars. The whole room seemed to get quieter as if the drunks had sobered up to watch me do something stupid. I was a civilised rancher, not a scumbag so I released my grip, freeing the Bartender.

"I'm sorry sir." I said apologizing for my actions as the Bartender mopped the cold sweat off of his face.

"No I'm sorry sir." He replied as he re-positioned himself behind the bar counter. "They paid me to keep quiet otherwise they would find me and kill me."

"They won't hurt you." I assured him as my fear of death seemed to suddenly vanish. "They already took one life. They're not going to take another."

"Bless you sir." The Bartender said as a smile spread quickly across his face. "They're hiding out in the warehouse across the way. Please be careful?"

"Yeah." I replied as my fear began to return slowly. "I will sir. Don't worry."

I headed back over the bridge on foot towards the old dock warehouse. The place was eerie and it definitely was an eyesore. I figured that it was a good place for a deadly notorious gang to hide out in and needed to find a way inside. The doors and windows appeared to be boarded up on both sides and I had nothing on me to break the wooden planks with. I crept along the left side of the building until I reached the small piers. I found some rope that was draped over one of the empty market schools. I figured that I could use it to my advantage as I set my sights on the roof.

Making a loop in the rope to make a lasso, I tossed the rope into the air ad felt it catch onto one of the roof beams. It didn't take me long to reach the roof as I scaled the wall, holding onto the rope for dear life. There was no telling of what would happen next. As I properly positioned myself on the uneven roof, I noticed a small opening that was big enough for me to fit through. As I climbed down inside, I was met with the foul stench of seaweed and fish. The place was dimly lit up by candle light accompanied by the thin rays of daylight that seeped in through the walls. I used the shadows to my advantage as I stealthily made my way across the sturdy upper floor. Each step caused the wooden floorboards to creak. I believed they knew that I was there.

Reaching a ladder at the end of the room, I crouched to down to make note of my surroundings. I had to go down as the upper level was clear. As I placed my foot on the ladder, I felt it go right through, causing me to fall off the ledge. I braced myself for impact as I landed on the hard wooden decking with a mighty thud. A few moments later, I checked myself over for any damage only to find myself staring down the barrel of a revolver. As my eyes looked upwards, I noticed a familiar figure standing over me, displaying an evil grin on his shifty rugged face. I realised then that I had found my Uncle's killer and he was about kill me.

To Be Continued.


	2. Chapter 2

Bullets

There I was, staring at my attacker as my weary yet fierce eyes fixed with his. He was the man who killed my Uncle and he was going to pay. Time seemed to slow down until everything appeared to stop in thin air. My gaze was kept on him. I had to reach for my revolver before I could be paralysed on the spot. The gang leader continued to show his horrible yellow and black teeth. His face was rugged, streaked with mud and dirt. His hair was greasy as sweat ran down his forehead. He was breathing heavily which meant that his adrenaline levels were sky rocketing. It was then that he threw his insults at me.

"Well lookie here boys!" he snarled as he pulled back the hammer on his gun. "We have ourselves a kid. Haha what ya' doin' here boy! You shouldn't be trespassing on property they don't belong to you."

The other members emerged from the shadows, their petty chuckles echoed in the shadows of the building as the leader continued his mocking.

"I suppose I should let you go, but I'm afraid if I do that, you'll go tell on me, let alone there is now lawman here to stop us."

"Instead your dealing with me asshole." I replied as I spat out my first reply. "Y-you think I'm going to let you get away with the crimes you've done?"

"Well what do ya' know?" the leader continued. "The kid had a backbone. Well I'm going to see to it that you don't have it again.

I reached for my revolver, hoping to take the first shot, but I was unaware that my opponent was a well skilled sharpshooter. My fingers didn't even reach the trigger as my opponent fired, hitting me in the arm. I fell down in agony as I felt the traveling bullet nest itself in my upper arm. I could've easily returned fire, but I knew that I would be gunned down in the process. Instead, I felt an overwhelming dizzy spell come over me. I was going to black out on the spot and I wasn't surprised. I had never been shot before, but I could use this to my advantage. I decided to fool the gang and play dead. Within a matter of seconds, my sight faded away and darkness clouded my mind. I didn't know what had happened after that. Was I dead? I wanted to wake up and find out.

**MacFarlane's Ranch**

What seemed to be like minutes turned out to be days as I awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the strong sun rays beating down on my face. I was in a bedroom, comfortably lying in a thick double bed. I took a few minutes to get my head together and studied the damages that I received. My left eye had been swollen shut. I couldn't move it for the life of me. My left rib cage had been cracked and my right arm had been internally bruised. My arm was bandaged all over with a blood patch stain. Someone had taken me in. It took me a few minutes to get out of the bed and walk over to the bathroom. I ran some cold water in the sink, washed my face and looked at my complexion in the mirror. I had a brown rugged beard accompanied with three scars that ran down my cheeks. My skin was pale the colour was returning.

I then staggered to the window to see where I was. I realised that I was MacFarlane's Ranch, the friendliest town in the land. I then turned around to see my door open and a fair brunette woman entered the room carrying my clothes. My jaw dropped. She was beautiful. Her dark brown eyes were captivating and her smile melted my heart. This sweet woman took me in when I was certain that I was left for dead. She was a young woman who I guessed were in her mid-twenties. There was something about her that I couldn't put my finger on, something spiritual.

"Sorry to startle you?" she said as she shyly brushed her hair. "I didn't expect to see you up so soon."

"That's ok miss." I replied as I let out a smile. "May I ask how long I was out?"

"You were sleeping peacefully for four days." The woman replied as she walked over to me to attend to my wounds. "I found you in that warehouse you know. I couldn't see you lying there. You're a very lucky man mister…"

"Clay. William Clay." I replied as I introduced myself. "And may I know your name?"

"My name's Belle Wellington." The woman replied as she undressed my bandages. "But you can call me Belle."

"Well Miss Belle, do you know what happened to the gang that whacked me?" I asked, as I felt comfortable talking to her. "My head feels like it's been hit by a cannon ball."

"Those boys apparently rode out of town just after they whacked you." Belle replied as she sat me down on the bed spread. "I was passing through town when a rancher stopped me. He had found you lying there in the damp and asked me to take you in as the doctor was out of town. I was convinced you were going to die. You had lost quite a lot of blood."

"Well I guess I owe you my life." I said as I lay back down on the bed. "Miss Belle, I would do anything to repay you for this."

"That won't be necessary Mr Clay." Belle smiled as she left me to rest. "I thought it was very noble yet very foolish that you would stick up to a gang of criminals. What made you do it in the first place?"

"It's a very dark story." I replied as I looked away from her with sorrow in my eyes. "Those assholes killed my Uncle. They practically took away the only family I ever had. So I'm out for justice. I'm sure you could understand that?"

"We all have our own reasons Mr Clay. I know that you're not the typical gun nut." Belle concluded as she left the room. "Breakfast will be in an hour. I'll bring your tray up to you."

"Much obliged miss." I muttered as I fluffed up my pillow and returned to my restless sleep.

It was midday when I had properly returned to perfect health. After eating a delicious cooked breakfast, I felt that I had the energy to get up and explore the town. The pain in my arm had died down and I was able to move it again. I got dressed and headed down the staircase towards the kitchen where Belle was washing the dishes. She looked over at me and smiled as I stood there in the hallway.

"Well it's great to finally see you up and walking." She said as walked over to me and straightened my duster coat. "I left your holster belt on the chair over there. I suppose you want to get out and do some exploring?"

"Well I would appreciate it if I could use the shooting range here." I replied as I fastened my holster belt. "I got practise at my shooting?"

"You're not going to go after them now, are you?" Belle asked. "You've just recovered."

"Someone's got to bring them down?" I explained. "I can't rely on local law enforcement to do it? Besides I'm going nowhere just yet. I just need a little fresh air."

Belle sighed heavily as she returned to her work. I didn't know why, but somehow I seemed to upset her. Did she really care about me? It never really clicked as I never valued my health, well my life. She seemed to be the first person to truly acknowledge my existence and to me, that meant a lot.

"I'm going to the shooting range for a bit." I said as walked back up to my room. "Would you care to join me?"

"I would like that." Belle replied with a false smile. "Guess some men do what they have to do."

As placed on my hat, I gazed out the window once more. The sun's rays hit my swollen eye, causing me a great deal of pain. I still couldn't open it and until I could open it again, it needed protection. I had Belle go to the local store where she soon returned with a thick black eye patch. I placed on the eye patch and took a look in the mirror. From then on I knew for certain that I was going to be a different person. I was no longer an innocent rancher, I was an avenger.

To Be Continued.


	3. Chapter 3

Bullets

I couldn't believe how bad I was a shooting. My sight was that fuzzed and blurred that I had a hard time seeing the target. I was the shooting ranger which was situated behind the barn and the place was empty. Belle sat on the haystacks watching me as I shot blanks at the dummy targets. My arms were still weak as I couldn't keep my aim straight. It was now my fifth round and I had to show some signs of progress. Belle walked over to me and placed her hand under my elbow, supporting it for me.

"Try now." She said as I pulled back the hammer and fired at the target. "Keep your arm straight."

I fired at the target, this time hitting it in the arm. It was still off, but it was progress.

"Thanks." I said as I went to sit down. "I never found it so difficult to shoot before."

"I suppose it's because you're not use to shooting with one eye open." Bonnie chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "You look like a pirate with a cowboy hat on."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I laughed as I reloaded my revolver. "My sight's still blurry. Everything looks like a haze to me out here than inside the house. I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a short while yet. I hope that I don't become a burden to you."

"Don't be silly." Belle replied. "I could use your help around the house during your stay if that's alright?"

"Sure thing." I agreed as, I took one last shot at the target and returned to the house.

I stayed with Belle for further three weeks, helping her out with the chores while recuperating. She was such a sweetheart that I even cooked her dinner. Yeah that's right. Ranchers can cook too you know. As the sun appeared over the horizon, I knew that it was time to head out after the gang who did this to me in the first place. I wanted Belle to come with me on this journey as I had developed feelings for her over the past few weeks, but I knew she had to stay and I knew that I was going to miss her.

"Are you sure that you won't change your mind?" she said as she saw me off.

"I'm afraid I have to." I replied as I knew very well that there was no other way. "I can't leave them out there to keep on killing. They must be brought to justice."

Belle looked down at the floor meaning that I spoke the words that she didn't want to hear. I knew what I had to do but I also knew how I felt about her.

"Look, I promise you, I'll return and see you again." I said as my words forced her to look up at me. "You saved my life and I will always be your debt, but I must right the wrongs here and do this country a favour. I'm sure you can understand that? I mean I can shoot again now thanks to you."

"I know." Belle chuckled as she reached up and took my hand. "Go but I will keep your promise and I will see you back here."

"Okay." I replied with a smile as she released my hand and stepped out of my way.

Cracking the reigns, galloped out of the ranch and headed off into the lush green fields of Hennagan's Stead. My destination was the place where it all started. Thieves Landing.

As I headed down the road, the skies grew dark and sinister once more. It felt like deja vu to me as I tried not replaying the events in my head. As I rode into town, I headed towards the saloon once more, but this time I had prepared myself. As I hitched my horse outside, I peered in thorough the windows just as my heart sank into my stomach. The place was full of thugs and crooks, all of which seemed to be drunk and in a violent state of mind. I barged my way in which drew the crowd's attention. Everybody looked at me and glared at me with their piercing eyes. Taking a deep breath I spoke out.

"Does anyone know where those sons of bitch Bollards are!"

"Who wants to know?" Came a low gruff voice from within the crowd.

"I do." I continued, keeping my nerves down. "I have a score to settle with them."

Suddenly in response to my voice, an elderly man with a rough complexion walked up to me. His face was covered in a white bushy beard, his eyes were weary and a wooden cigar protruded from his mouth. He wore a brown, plaid shirt, brown leather chapped trousers and brown boots along with a brown stained Stetson hat. My first impression was that he was a treasure hunter.

"I recognise you, boy." He said as he looked at the scars on my face along with the eye patch that covered my eye. "You were blasted up by them boys a few weeks back. Hell I thought you were dead."

"Well, would a dead man be walking now?" I continued. "Besides I'm not that boy anymore."

"Yeah well let's talk about it somewhere else huh?" the man said as he steered me to the direction of the street. "It's not safe to talk about revenger here."

We stepped out into the street and walked down towards the hotel that was situated next door. The place belonged to the local prostitutes and it served a local business for men who were looking for a good time. Inside, the hotel was well decorated and lit as if you were stepping into a rich man's home. We sat down in the comfortable lounge area where continued to have our conversation.

"The name is McKinner, Jeff McKinner." The man introduced himself as one of girls approached us with a tray of whiskey. "I use to ride with the Bollard twins when I was young. I know where they go and what they do these days."

"Then perhaps you could help me, sir?" I asked as I poured myself a glass of whiskey. "You see, I'm looking for them. They took something dear from me and I want revenge."

"Don't we all?" McKinner replied. "Those boys burnt down my home when they found out that I wanted to raise a family. They found my wife and hung her while they forced me to watch. I've been looking for justice since then. Hell I'm too old to go after them now. Those boys sure know how to avoid the law at all costs."

"We can change that." I said as McKinner looked at me. "I'm sorry for your loss, but I need your help. Ride with me? We can bring them down together and bring justice to them."

"Look at me boy." McKinner replied as knocked back his drink. "I'm too old to go anywhere. I can't even mount a horse."

"I can help you with that as long as you can shoot." I assured the man. "I need your help sir. Plus if you do this, you'll have closure and I'll have vengeance. I could use an extra gun anyway."

"Okay boy." McKinner replied as adjusted his holster belt. "What's your name?"

"It's Clay. William Clay." I replied.

"Well Clay. We better get a move on if we're going to find these guys." McKinner continued as he got up to leave. "We'll leave at nightfall and head out to the Manzanita Trading Post for supplies. If I know the gang, they'll be hiding up in Tall Trees."

I nodded in agreement as I followed McKinner to the reception desk and booked a room. After signing the guest list, I headed upstairs to my room and sat myself down upon the bed spread. I looked at the grandfather clock that was ticking away in the corner of the room. I had six hours until nightfall and I was going to spend those hours gathering supplies. I unpacked my satchel bag and pulled out a small black jacket. I needed a bath and a fresh change of clothes. Thanks to Belle, I was going to feel refreshed.

Later that evening, I decided to take a walk towards the general store. The sky was surprisingly clear as the stars twinkled in the night sky. The streets were quiet with only a handful of people heading to from their jobs. The general store was open until late which was quite convenient for me. As I approached the store entrance, I was immediately stopped by three men who appeared out from the shadows. They all looked familiar to me as they stood there with their hands closely by their pistols.

"What do you scumbags want?" I asked as I spat out my trash words. "You're in my way."

"Rumour has it that you're after the Bollard twins." One of the men replied. "There's a huge bounty out for them dead or alive. It's worth Ten Thousand Dollars and we'll be the one who'll claim it."

"You boys must be stupid." I replied as I let out a sinister grin. "I better get three wooden boxes made ready for you because that's where you'll be."

"No, boy. You'll be the first." The man replied as he reached for his revolver.

Putting my shooting skills to use, I quickly drew my revolver and fired rapid shots at the three men, sending them down to the ground one at a time. I felt cocky after that and it felt good. Stepping over the blood stained bodies; I headed into the store and bought my supplies. A few minutes later after I purchased food and supplies, I watched to see McKinner arrive on horseback, leading my horse.

"We better get going now." He said as he watched me saddled my horse. "Turns out I can still mount a horse after all."

Picking up speed, rode out of town and over the Dixon Crossing. We were now in West Elizabeth County and this place had a whole different feel to it. We headed off towards Manzanita Post which was situated up the hill from Beecher's Hope. Riding next to McKinner, I realised that this had become a whole new game.


	4. Chapter 4

Bullets

The Great Plains felt like a sinister place to me as we rode up into the green tranquil fields that separated Tall Trees from the town of Blackwater. I felt slightly unnerved as every narrow turn led us into unknown territory. I had never been up here before so I never had a clue on what to respect. I could've been ambushed by bandits for all I knew and have prepared myself for it. However, McKinner led the way with great confidence as he rode up in front on his greyish mustang. He claimed that he knew the way off by heart and I was beginning to believe him. There was a hazy blue tint in the sky as evening was fast approaching. Soon we would have to set up camp and I was dreading that the most.

As we reached the top of the hill, the dark sinister shadow of Tall Trees came into view. Amongst the shadows was the small trading post of Manzanita. I had no clue on how were going to get there as I dreading the dangerous wildlife than the criminals that could've been at large. Tall Trees was known for hit's Bear population along with Boar and snow Cougars. Sure I hunt animals for a living but Bears? No way!

McKinner slowed down so I could keep up with him. The trees began to blank out the sky as the setting sun flickered through the tree line. The roads became muddy and a gusty wind blew fallen leaves all over the place. The trading post was nothing more than a wooden store with tents, a few sheds and a train station. It was pretty rural up here and temperature seemed to drop too by a few degrees. We hitched our horses and McKinner headed off to the train station, leaving me to attend to the horses.

"I'm going to get some information from the mail clerk." He said as he pointed towards the building he was heading to. "You go and get us some supplies?"

"What are you going to get from him?" I replied with a quizative look on my face. "They should sell maps and that in the store."

"Who says I'm looking for a map?" McKinner smirked as he headed off. "This man owes me money from my last visit. A man never forgets when he sells cattle for cheap."

I didn't have anything to say so I proceeded into the store where the shop clerk was only too pleased to see me. I guess he just needed a customer badly so he could make a profit. I stood there at the counter and gazed at the items that were displayed behind the clerk.

"What'll it be sir?" he asked as he scratched his moustache.

"I'll need those fur jackets over there." I replied as pointed to the bear fur jackets that were hanging up on the coat rack. "Also I would like a pound of Bacon, Ham and Beef."

The shop clerk sold me the items and I was on my way. I stepped back outside I was drawn to the sound of gunfire that was coming from the station platform. McKinner came darting out wielding his revolver and darted behind the water tower. He had been pursued by another man who had a rugged face, missing teeth and wore tatty rancher's clothes. The man kept firing at McKinner, keeping him pinned down behind the water tower. He was firing a cattleman revolver, pretty much the weakest revolver there was in Mexico.

"I don't own no money to anyone!" he snarled as he took a few seconds to reload his revolver. "No one dares stealing money from Jack Dougly the Bone Cruncher!"

I leapt forwards as the man was about to close in on McKinner. Drawing my revolver, I caught the man off balance and fired. I watched as he fell to the ground and bled all over the dusty path. McKinner emerged from his hiding place and walked towards the dead body. I pulled a morbid expression as he searched the body and pulled out a blood stained was of cash.

"Here it is." He said as he approached me, waving the bills. "Here's the money."

"You mean blood money." I corrected as I tried not to gag at the stench of dead body. "Come let's get out of here huh?"

"You got the supplies?" he asked me agreeing to get a move on. "It's gonna' get colder when we head up towards the Aurora Basin."

"Don't worry; I got the stuff we need." I said as I gave McKinner the same morbid look. "You're a really weird man you know that?"

"Hey every man has the right to claim back what he earns." Mckinner pointed out. "in our case, we're gonna' need everything we've got."

I didn't have a clue as to what that was supposed to mean and I didn't really want to know either. As headed out of Manzanita Post, we took the small, narrow trails that led up into the hills above. Following the trail, the dry, green ground began to turn to snow and the temperature kept dropping by the minute. I felt as if we were no longer in Mexico as the whole area seemed like a different country. We rode slowly onwards as vibrations from our horses could shake loose rocks above us. A small wooden hut appeared on the top of the hill. It was covered in snow and it was dimly lit from within. McKinner and I looked at each other for a brief second before I removed the map from my satchel. I unfolded the man and he instantly pointed to our location. We were at Tanners Reach, a small abandoned hunter's house that actually didn't appear abandoned at all.

We had to move on as the land around the house belonged to snow cougars. The trail kept on leading upwards towards a plain of snow and dirt. I was amazed at what I was seeing as grizzlies ran up and down the land and elk screamed through the chilled air. I could hear the sound of rushing water behind me. McKinner rode onwards towards the sound and followed close behind him. Amongst the trees was the Aurora Basin, a huge lake that flowed into the river below. The place was known for fisherman and hunters alike as it was a great hotspot for wildlife. Unfortunately we weren't there for that.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked McKinner as I wasn't convinced that the Bollard Twins were here. "There doesn't seem to be anyone here."

"Oh they're here alright." McKinner replied as he pointed to a wooden cabin that sat by the basin. "They usually hide by that old fishing cabin. See, no one thinks to look for them up here. We need to give them the element of surprise."

"Yeah." I muttered under my breath. "Surprise them with your loudmouth."

I trotted slowly towards the wooden cabin still convinced that McKinner had lost it. How could a gang of six men hide out in a two man cabin? I was expecting to find nothing but a few old fishing sticks and an unmade bed. As I approached the cabin entrance, I dived for cover as I heard the sound of a gunshot fly right over me. I looked back a few seconds later to find McKinner laying there lifelessly in the snow. I rushed over to him to inspect his wounds. He had received a bullet through the head as his warm blood stained and melted the snow around him. I wanted to help him but I knew that I couldn't.

Suddenly, another bullet ricocheted off the ground by my feet, causing me to leap for cover. I realised then that I had been pinned down by a sniper. Keeping my head down and quickly reaching for my revolver, I scanned the rocks above me to see if I could pick out the attacker. A few more shots were fired, each missing me by inches. After a few slow moments, I found the sniper. He was crouching on the rock face above me and he appeared to blend in with snow covered Cliffside. It was time to see what I could do after all that pistol training. Aiming as best I could for the head, I fired three shots. At first I thought I missed that was until I saw the attacker's body fall lifelessly off the rock face.

I couldn't believe it. I killed him at far distance. Brushing the snow off my coat, I approached the body and searched it for ammunition. All I found was some silver coins and a slip of folded paper. I unfolded the bit of paper and realised that it was a hand drawn map of the tall trees area. It took me several minutes to work out what it meant until I got my bearings straight. The map displayed a road which led to a railroad trestle and a waterfall. Tanner's Span was written at the top of the map and a cross was marked at the small shoreline beneath the trestle. At first I thought it was a gold map, but the initials marked next to the cross stood for something else.

"B.T.M.L" I muttered to myself as I used my mind to come up with the answer. The letters were initials for "Bollard Twin Meeting Location" and I knew where I had to go. I leapt onto my horse and galloped off towards Tanners Span, hoping that the gang would be there. It was only a short ride as I followed the river downstream until eventually, the trestle came into view. I dismounted my horse at Bearclaw camp and made my way down the embankment.

I came to a row of rocks that sat above the water's edge. I used the scope off the dead snipers rifle to take a closer look and discovered that the whole gang was there. I began to make my decent down towards the shoreline. My footing was very treacherous as each step caused loose rocks to slide down into the thunderous stream below. As I got closer, I could hear a conversation amongst the gang members.

"I haven't seen Louis yet." One member said. "Did ya' think he made it?"

"Louis was a bum." Another member replied. "He couldn't do anything right. I want to know where the boss is. I'm sure we're being watched."

I looked on as the fifth man appeared from nowhere. I recognised the man's face and attire anywhere. He was the boss who shot me and killed my uncle. He was the one I had to kill and I wasn't going to let him get away with it this time.


	5. Chapter 5

Bullets

I was literally bearing down on the Bollard gang and was in the right position to open fire, but something was stopping me. It was if I had hit a brick wall and I get over it, a brick wall of fear mixed with anger and remorse. I knew that I could easily just sit there and watch the gang ride away, but I knew that I had come a long way not to see that happen. Shaking the dark thoughts out of my head, I regained control of my senses and continued my assault. Pulling back the hammer, I fired; send two of the men into the violent falls behind them. My third shot hit another man, causing him to roll down the embankment and into the trestle. By now, the boss was freaking out wildly as he tried to find me but didn't have any luck. I felt the urge to laugh out loud at his fear. That was until I heard the sound of hoofs hitting the rocks behind me. I looked downwards to see a horse head down towards the gang boss. He mounted the horse and took off towards the railroad camp that was at the other end of the trestle. I could believe it. I left the rocks and skidded downwards towards the shore line. Whistling for my horse, I saddled up and gave chase.

The wind heavily battered my face as I sped along the trail in hot pursuit of my Uncle's killer. He sure was a fast rider as his seemed to be tireless. He was heading along the fields of Hennigan's Stead towards the railroad tracks. Before I knew it, we were back up on the Great Plains heading down the hill towards the coastal town of Blackwater. I didn't know why he was going there. Perhaps he was just running? Blackwater appeared over the horizon with the enormous Iron Lake which was glistening in the sun behind it. I feared that this little town was about to see blood and a lot of it whether it was his blood or mine. Let alone my vision had been blinded by the wind and dust; I had caught up with the Bollard scumbag as we both galloped down the bottom of the hill and into town.

**Blackwater**

The dusty trail had turned into a stone street as I brought my horse to a stop. I had to put the people in this town first before myself. I didn't want the government on my case. Unfortunately for the Bollard leader, he had approached the quay side when his horse had lost footing, launching him into the air. I watched on as he hit the hard ground with a thud. He lifted himself up, spitting out blood in the process. I dismounted my horse and decided to continue the chase on foot. The leader staggered onwards as he dashed up onto the wooden pier and ran outwards towards the water's edge. He finally realised that had nowhere left to go and he span round on his heels only to meet the barrel of my revolver.

"Just what do ya' want!" he grunted, oblivious as to who I was.

"You don't know who I am?" I replied as I pulled back the hammer once more on my revolver. "When a man shoots a young boy in a warehouse and kills his family, he should remember to make sure that that boy is actually dead."

"You!" the boss said as his eyes widened in realisation. "I thought you were dead?"

"You thought wrong, asshole." I snarled as I raised my revolver to the man's forehead. "You did this to me and I'm gonna' make sure that you're gonna' pay for what you did. You haven't got your boys around to protect your sorry little ass now. It's just you and me."

"Just kill me already." He replied as he snickered under that vermin infested mouth of his. "You took all of my boys out so why not make it easy for yourself and shoot me right here right now where all these people can see that your nothing but a scumbag yourself. I may have killed your Uncle but you got to be honest, the bastard deserved it."

"We'll see." I growled as I stepped back a few paces, challenging the man to a duel. "Let's do it. A standoff right here, right now and we'll see who's a real man. You'll regret the day you messed with William Clayton. When bell sounds, we'll draw."

From then on, everything relied on my eyes, my wits and my gun. A crowd gathered up on the pier and formed a circle around us. They didn't seem frightened by all of this. No instead they found it to be interesting. There were young ruffians in the crowd cheering me on along with the federal officers who barged their way towards the front of the crowd. I hovered my hand over my revolver waiting to lift it at the sound of the bell. It was nearing the hour and each second became more intense than the previous. I saw my opponent break out in a cold sweat. He was as nervous as a child. I think he knew that he was about to die, but was luck truly on my side?

Finally, the church bells chimed and I lifted my revolver, striking my the leader's heart. I closed my eyes as both guns echoed into the air. I was afraid that I had been shot, but I couldn't feel anything. No pain, no blood patch, nothing. As I opened my eyes, I noticed that I had killed the Bollard gang boss right in the chest. He was lying there where once stood, his blood flowing across the pier and dripping into the lake behind him. His expression freaked me out as his jaw dropped and his eyes were wide opened. The man was foul smelling and nobody dared go near him. The crowd gasped and cheered. They loved it much more than I did.

For me, it felt as if a weight had lifted out of my body, replacing the rage and guilt with peace and relaxation. I didn't even stop to think that I could be arrested for murder. I just turned round, holstered my revolver and walked back towards the street. It seemed unbelievable to me how a man could feel so much better at the sight of a dead body. It made feel good and yet it made me feel like an animal. What made this even weirder was that no one seemed to stop me as I mounted my horse as trotted out of the town.

Later that evening, as the sun began to set once more over the shrouded horizon, I took a nice slow ride along the plains and towards Hennigan's Stead. I didn't know what to do. I could've gone back to the ranch, but I would've constantly been reminded of the day that started all of this. I stopped at the top of the hill to clear my head for a few minutes. I remembered the one thing that I was looking forward to, Belle. I left that beautiful farm girl who nursed me back to health to go and hunt those outlaws. I knew she would be waiting. My thoughts returned to me and realised something that I must've known for a long time. I was in love with Belle and my decision had been made. I was going to go to her, make her my wife and then start a family of my own. I was going to fix my life. It's what my Uncle would've wanted. Clapping at the reigns, I rode off into the calmness of the early night. My ordeal was over for good.

The End


End file.
